When I was growing up, every morning before school you’d find me in my family’s garage doing my pliés (knee bends in ballet) at my little barre. I could easily dance and move for hours. That feeling of joy and energy from being active led me to become a professional dancer, dancing around the world, doing the cancan at casinos and performing in chorus lines on cruise ships.
Life took an unexpected turn in 2008. Despite my love for movement, I found myself unable to engage in the very activity that had always brought me happiness. I had a beautiful baby and a delightful toddler, but I had become trapped in a state of despair, consumed by guilt and shame. My mind was haunted by dark and truly terrifying thoughts that only added to the weight I carried. The positive, action-oriented person I once knew had been lost.
I knew deep down that I should prioritise exercise and physical activity, but my exhaustion and demanding schedule were barriers that seemed insurmountable. The motivation I once possessed dwindled to an all-time low. Everything, especially exercise, felt way too hard.
I found myself waiting – waiting for a solution that would magically fix everything. Of course, that didn’t arrive. As my emotions spiralled and I hurtled towards rock bottom, I finally sought help from my doctor. She diagnosed me with postnatal depression, presented me with treatment options and, as I was about to leave her office, said one last thing: “When you get on a plane, they tell you that in an emergency you have to put on your oxygen mask before assisting others. That’s what you have to do.”
Denne historien er fra March 2024-utgaven av Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 2024-utgaven av Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
PRETTY WOMAN
Dial up the joy with a mood-boosting self-care session done in the privacy of your own home. It’s a blissful way to banish the winter blues.
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
The unseen Rovals
Candid, behind the scenes and neverbefore-seen images of the royal family have been released for a new exhibition.
Great read
In novels and life - there's power in the words left unsaid.
Winter dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of budget-concious recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the cold weather blues away.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Former ballerina'sBATTLE with BODY IMAGE
Auckland author Sacha Jones reveals how dancing led her to develop an eating disorder and why she's now on a mission to educate other women.
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START
Responsible for keeping the likes of Jane Fonda and Jamie Lee Curtis in shape, Malin Svensson is on a mission to motivate those in midlife to move more.
